Senators' eight key votes examined from 2011-12

The Lowell Sun

Updated:
11/05/2012 06:36:16 AM EST

By Bob Katzen

THE HOUSE AND SENATE: There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week. This week, Beacon Hill Roll Call reviews local senators' votes from the 2011-2012 session on eight key proposals to increase or reduce taxes.

REDUCE SALES TAX TO 5 PERCENT (S 3): Senate 10-28 in 2011 and 5-31 in 2012, rejected an amendment to reduce the state's sales tax from 6.25 percent to 5 percent over a two-year period.

(A "Yes" vote is for the sales tax reduction. A "No" vote is against it.)

REDUCE SALES TAX TO 5 PERCENT AND REPLACE IT WITH CASINO REVENUE (S 3): Senate 9-27, rejected an amendment to reduce the state's sales tax from 6.25 percent to 5 percent over a two-year period. The amendment also requires 12 percent of the state's revenue from casinos go to the General Fund to compensate for the sales tax reduction.

(A "Yes" vote is for the sales tax reduction. A "No" vote is against it.)

(A "Yes" vote is for the income tax reduction. A "No" vote is against it.)

No: Sens. Donnelly Donoghue, Eldridge, Fargo, Finegold, Flanagan.

Yes: Sen. Tarr.

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PERMANENT SALES-TAX HOLIDAY (S 3): Senate 4-34, rejected an amendment establishing a permanent annual two-day sales-tax holiday in August. The Department of Revenue would choose the dates of the holiday and announce them by July 15 each year.

(A "Yes" vote is for the permanent tax holiday. A "No" vote is against it.)

No: Sens. Donnelly Donoghue, Eldridge, Fargo, Finegold, Flanagan.

Yes: Sen. Tarr.

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ONE-TIME TWO-DAY SALES -AX HOLIDAY IN AUGUST (S 2350): Senate, 28-9 in 2011 and 31-6 in 2012, approved a bill that would allow consumers to buy most products that cost under $2,500 on one Saturday and Sunday in 2011 and 2012 respectively, without paying the state's 6.25 percent sales tax.

(A "Yes" vote is for the one-time tax holiday. A "No" vote is against it.)

No/Yes: Sens. Donnelly, Fargo.

Yes/Yes: Sens. Donoghue, Finegold, Flanagan, Tarr .

No/No: Sen. Eldridge.

MAKE MORE SENIORS ELIGIBLE FOR TAX BREAK (S 3): Senate, 9-29, rejected an amendment that would allow more senior homeowners and renters over 65 to qualify for the state's $970 "senior circuit breaker" tax credit.

(A "Yes" vote is for expanding the tax credit. A "No" vote is against it.)

No: Sens. Donnelly, Donoghue, Eldridge, Finegold, Flanagan.

Yes: Sens. Fargo, Tarr.

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TAX CREDIT FOR BUSINESSES THAT CREATE JOBS (S 2015): Senate, 4-32, rejected an amendment using 10 percent of the state's revenue from casinos to provide a tax credit to businesses that create jobs in Massachusetts.

(A "Yes" vote is for the tax credit. A "No" vote is against it.)

No: Sens. Donnelly Donoghue, Eldridge, Fargo, Finegold, Flanagan.

Yes: Sen. Tarr.

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HIKE TAX ON CIGARS AND SMOKELESS TOBACCO (S 3): Senate, 15-23, rejected an amendment that would raise the tax on most cigars and smokeless tobacco to make it equal to the tax on cigarettes.

(A "Yes" vote is for the tax hike. A "No" vote is against it.)

No: Sens. Donoghue, Finegold, Flanagan, Tarr.

Yes: Sens. Donnelly, Eldridge, Fargo.

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ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL

FUNERAL VEHICLES (H 3390): The House approved and sent to the Senate a bill allowing hearses and other funeral-home vehicles to have emergency lights similar to those on police and emergency vehicles when in a funeral procession or when responding to a fatality on behalf of the Chief Medical Examiner's Office.

Provisions include requiring the state to develop guidelines consistent with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners model, prohibiting unfair and deceptive sales practices, allowing a policyholder to cancel the policy up to 30 days after the effective date and receive a full refund, requiring the employees of companies that sell LTC insurance to take a minimum eight-hour training course by July 1, 2014, and then continue taking at least four hours of training biennially to keep up with any changes in the regulations.

LAWS TAKING EFFECT: Several laws approved by the Legislature and signed into law by Patrick in August have recently taken effect or are about to do so. Most approved new laws don't take effect until 90 days after the governor signs them. New laws include:

HEARING AIDS (H 52): Effective Nov. 4: Requires health insurance plans to cover the cost of hearing aids for anyone younger than 21. The measure would require coverage of up to $2,000 per hearing aid every three years. The average price of a hearing aid is estimated at $2,500.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BILL (H 4352): Effective Nov. 5: An economic development and jobs bill. Provisions include the recent August sales-tax holiday that will allow consumers to buy most products under $2,500 without paying the state's 6.25 percent sales tax; a two-year extension of existing state and local permits held by developers who had been unable to proceed with their projects because of tight credit markets; and creation of a MassWorks Infrastructure Program, which will serve as a one-stop shop for infrastructure funding.

Patrick vetoed several tax-related items and the Legislature never overrode the vetoes. Those items include an expansion of brownfields tax credits, a tax credit equal to the current $456 minimum corporate excise tax for all corporations for their first three tax years, restructuring of corporate tax payments and an increase in historic building rehabilitation tax credits. He said the state cannot afford the loss of millions of dollars in revenue.

HOW LONG WAS LAST WEEK'S SESSION? During the week of Oct. 29-Nov. 2, the House met for a total of 24 minutes while the Senate met for a total of 40 minutes.

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